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Wrapping up the OpenStack Travel Support Program – Icehouse

The OpenStack Foundation brought 18 people to Hong Kong thanks to the grants offered by the first edition of the Travel Support Program, sponsored by Intel. The Travel Support Program is based on the promise of Open Design and its aim is to facilitate participation of key contributors to the OpenStack Design Summit. The program aims at covering costs for travel and accommodation for key contributors to the OpenStack project to join the community at the Summits.

We had 18 people accepted in the program from 11 countries and all continents (except Antarctica)! Four people travelled from India, two from south-east Asia, three from Europe, three from North America, four from Oceania and the rest from Africa and South America. Of the 26 total applicants, four were fully paid by their employers and didn’t need the grants, four couldn’t be accepted due to paperwork problems because of local political turmoil.

The Foundation spent a total of US$16,742 for accommodations and US$11,795.61 for flights, with a total cost for the Foundation of over US$30,000 including the costs of the 11 access passes granted to the non-ATCs (Active Technical Contributors). Luckily most people were able to share the rooms, which cost US$1,522 each allowing more people to be able to participate in the program.

This was the first time the OpenStack Foundation ran the program and we would like to continue running and expanding it in 2014. As one of the recipients of the travel grant, Terri Yu told us:

As great as it is to work with people on IRC, you’re not getting the full OpenStack experience by sitting in front of your computer. You have to meet people. If there is an important contributor who can’t get to the Summit, I’d like to see them funded by the Travel Support Program.

We’ll soon start working on the “J” edition of the Travel Support Program, to help people get to Atlanta (Georgia) in the USA in May 2014. Watch this space for announcements.